Career/Job Advice Thread

Alright, so, I need some advice. I didn't want to make an entire post dedicated to my issue, so I figure we could have a general Career Thread and I could just very subtly make my request the first post.

I'm going to be finishing nursing school in December. If all goes according to plan, I should be licensed as a Registered Nurse within two weeks of 12/9. That means it's time to start sending my resume out to see if I can land a position as a Graduate Nurse. During clinicals I've seen plenty of newly graduated nurses who don't even have their license yet working and getting paid, so I know it's pretty common to get in as early as possible.

So, my request: Anyone willing to give me some advice on my resume? While it's focused on Nursing, I figure there's probably some common themes that can be applied to resumes in general that I can improve on, and my cover letter isn't really something nursing specific.

I'll send it over to anyone interested, just give me a holler.

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And with that - What're you working on Career-wise, DLP? We have a pretty large spread of people with a lot of experience around here that could probably help out a lot.

I can tell you what others have told me about resume writing if you post it. The truth is there's no secret of the perfect resume; you're just trying to communicate what you can do and what you've accomplished in an efficient manner.

A couple of close friends are RNs working at the hospital near the university where they completed their program, so they've recent, first hand knowledge of your experience. If you'd like, shoot me a pm and I can ping them on it.

From what I understand, it's easier to get started at hospitals with lower acuity; it may be worth targeting those if you're pressed for time.

Otherwise, heed advice above on resumes in general. Recruiter friend of mine stresses that it's a numbers game and sheer volume works in your favor.

One thing that gets overlapped for new nurses is that the mentors and older nurses where you work will end up teaching you a lot of habits. Making sure where you go teaches you good habits gets you very far

I'm a physician in California.

“Would you prefer Santa Claus? You’re on his naughty list by the way. It would complicate the mission if he devoured your soul.”
~Water Mage, From the Brightest Constellation

Where am I now...not where I ever expected to end up! I'm a data protection and information security auditor for a government regulator. My main focus is GDPR and DPA 18, with a sideline in PECR and FOI.

'You may not be good at making friends,' whispered Parax. 'But by Heaven you are second to none
when it comes to making enemies.' Sword in the Storm, by David Gemmell

The second article is broadly applicable in fields where the demand for labor is sufficiently high that a skilled individual could get multiple offers on the market without too much trouble.

I took the advice to heart myself during my last job hunt (just ended), saw that it was just about as easy as described (even outside Silicon Valley), and since then I've started mentoring a few people along these lines. Happy to answer any questions.

Dethklok said:

One day aliens are going to read this, and because of what you just wrote, they're going to destroy this planet.

I can confirm that working at one of the big-corps (especially outside of CA) is definitely worth it. While I didn't get mega-rich doing so, I'm definitely in a better position that I would have if I chose to move to the Bay Area for a startup. The work is incredibly interesting as well - while you definitely can get more breadth at a startup, very few approach the depth of experience and scales that you'd get. The package I have 8 years out of school targets $345k/yr (and for the last few years has been larger due to the stock market).

Jobhunting is the worst - but don't let yourself be discouraged by rejections or worse - no answer at all.

My advice would be to have you CV and your personal application separate from eachother and headline your CV with a short summary of the most important skills you can offer.

Your actual application needs to be specific to the actual place you are seeking employment. Try to tweak each and every application with something that shows, that you have knowledge of the workplace and have read their add (if they had one) closely.

Also, remember to focus on what you specifically have to offer and not on past experiences (that's what your CV is for).

Lastly, don't be afraid to call or show up to get some advice from the people reading your application, that'll make you stand out and possibly be remembered.

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I myself work as a college professor here in Denmark, teaching politics and Danish Litterature.

CVs become of limited value once they pass the 30 page mark. (I think my full CV, which I can't remember the last time I shared, is in excess of 100 pages; I almost always use an abridged version that's no more than 20 pages.) They're primarily of value for landing faculty or academic positions, though a link to one's Google Scholar page is arguably more useful and efficient. I expect CVs proper to be obsolete in a decade.

Resumes are no longer than two pages (one is ideal) and their sole purpose is to land a candidate an interview.

Cover letters should address specific job requirements and how the applicant satisfies them. Their purpose is to convince a hiring official that she should look at an applicant's resume.